Safe diaper clasp



March 23, 1954 c. M. HAMBLIN SAFE DIAPER CLASP Filed May 29, 1950 INVENTOR. E l /de MHamhlin, BY

ATTUF/VE Patented Mar. 23, 1954 SAFE DIAPER, oLAsr Cl-ydeM; Hamblin, Washington, D. 0. Application May29, 1950, SeriaLNo. 165,069

Claims.

This invention relates to, a safe diaper clasp and has for an object to provide an improved substitute for the safety pin as used on baby diapers and eliminate the danger resulting when a baby swallows an open safety pin.

A further object of this invention is to provide a clasp substituting for a. conventional safety pin in fastening a diaper about a baby which clasp is so shaped that it will secure the diaper in position just as firmly as a conventional safety pin which will lie flat against the body of the baby when in position, and which, if accidentally swallowed by the baby, will pass safely through the babys system without danger of injuring the babys stomach or intestines and without danger of lodging anywhere within the babys body but which will be discharged from the babys system in a natural manner.

A further object of this invention is to provide a safe diaper clasp which is as inexpensive to manufacture as the conventional safety pin but which is incapable of causing injury if accidentally swallowed or otherwise taken into the human body because it is entirely free of any externally projecting sharp edges and instead it is provided with rounded external surfaces whereby it cannot cause any cuts, tears, or other injuries as it passes through and out of the human body.

Many children have been endangered by swallowing open safety pins, necessitating dangerous operations in order to remove such open safety pin from the human body. Bronchoscope operations are usually necessary in removing an open safety pin from the human body but as the number of doctors skilled in such operations is extremely small, the time necessary in bringing the patient to the doctor, often from a distant city, sometimes proves fatal to the patient. Open safety pins are anever present danger in a babys life. It is an object of this invention to provide a clasp for fastening diapers in position on a baby which clasp if accidentally swallowed cannot cause any internal injury to the baby but which should pass safely through the baby's system and bedischarged therefrom without injury.

A further object of this invention is to provide a safe diaper clasp which maybe made of metal bya simple stamping and bending operation so that the clasp may be manufactured and sold at a low cost easily competitive with the cost of the safety pin.

A further object, of this invention is to provide a safety diaper clasp made of a single piece of et ma r a 5 119 1 X a pe pr sed and ded into, finali m mended. with. enlal 0f diaper 010th a in l'0l Q i9Il h fli r. pro t o nclqsedyw thi qa slaspibod that they are incapable of causing any injury Within the human body houldt-he completedclasp be accidentally swallowed:

A further object, of this invention is to provide a safety diaper clasphaving a fiattenedbody and; rounded edges together with internally located; diaper cloth engaging and penetrating projections, which projections are so located and spaced from the roundededges of the clasp that they are incapable of accidentally causing injury to the human body either internally orex'ternally;

A further object of this invention is to provide a safe diaper clasp which will eliminate every mothers ever-present fear that she may prick the baby with the pin ofa safety pin whilediapering the baby as wellasthefearthat the baby may accidentally swallow anopen safety pin with the resultant and possibly fatal danger.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention comprises the combination, constructions and arrangement of; parts hereinafter set forth, claimed, and disclosed in theaccome panying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a blank fromwhich one form of the clasp of this invention is made.

Fig. 2is a plan view of the blank-of- Fig. 1 after it has been cupped and the bent.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional View onthe line 4 -4 of Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is an edge view of a Fig. 6 is a sectional view clasp.

Fig. 7 is a blank for making a slightly modifiedform with the projections extending from the end instead of the sides.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the blank of Fig. 7 after the cupping and bendingoperation of the projections has been completed.

Fig. 9 is a sectional View on Fig. 10 is an edge view of this form.

completed clasp. through a completed line 9-9; of Fig. 8.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of still another form with l shared roughly i e a serextl w th" armies? projections have been a completed clasp of completed clasp a I a .1 2. rom Whilh. 0 This b 1 In ing finger extending from each side corner thereof. The blank l consists of an upper lobe l2 and a lower lobe |3 connected together by a slightly narrowed hinge forming portion Id. In making the blank l0 into the finished safe diaper clasp shown at IS the blank I0 is first cupped so as to have sides l6 extending completely therearound, the edge I! of the cupped side l6 being preferably at a tangent to a right angle extending from the-plane of the lobes of the blank [0 at the same time the fingers II are bent inwardly at I8 so as to extend parallel to the body of the lobe and then their points 20 are bent upwardly at right angles to the plane of the lobes.

The fingers ll of one lobe are very slightly longer than the fingers H of the other lobe, as a result of which the points 2| of one lobe are in a slightly different plane than the points 20 of the other lobe. Next the lobes I2 and I3 are folded toward each other about the joining line H between the lobes thus providing the finished clasp shown at l with the points 20 and 2| preferably overlapping each other, although they may be in point to point contact if the fingers on both lobes are of the same length. The joining line H thus provides a hinge joint between the cupped lobes I2 and I3 and the points 28 and 2| are displaced from the cupped side I S and edges IT a substantial distance therewithin.

The metal from which the blank is formed is such that after it has been shaped to the final form shown as l5 it will be sufficiently resilient so that the lobes may be separated by means of ones fingers about the hinge joint M a suificient distance to enable several layers of diaper cloth to be inserted therebetween so that when the lobes l3 are released and pressed together by one's fingers, the points 20 and 2| will penetrate the several layers of diaper cloth and thus hold the layers of diaper cloth in overlapped position just as the ordinary safety pin does. The spring of the clasp is intended to be sumciently strong to close the clasp when no cloth extends between the lobes thereof. However, when diaper cloth is inserted between the lobes of the clasp, the pressure of ones fingers may be necessary to aid the spring and cause the points to penetrate the cloth in the same conventional manner as it is necessary to apply force to cause point of a safety pin to penetrate the diaper cloth. The completed clasp I5 is substantially fiat and when placed in position on a diaper about a babys body it will lie flat against the body of the baby and not cause any appreciable lump with resultant discomfort. While this is the preferred type of metal, obviously the metal may be stifi without resilience so that it will remain in a position to which it is bent in which case it may be opened slightly with ones fingers so that it may be placed over the layers of diaper cloth and then pressed together to hold the layers of cloth in overlapped position. In either case, however, the clasping points 2!] and 2| are located entirely within and spaced from the edges of the clasp and only a rounded outer surface of the clasp can be touched. Obviously as thus constructed, there are no sharp edges or projecting points and the handling of the clasp cannot cause any injury whatsoever. Should the clasp be accidentally swallowed by a baby or child, there are no edges or.

points to injure or tear the stomach or intestines of the baby orchild and nothing to cause it to anchor or lodge anywhere within the child's body. In'stead',"it will merelypass' 'thru the stomach 4 and intestines and be discharged in a natural manner without the necessity of a bronchoscope or other dangerous operation to remove it from inside the child's body.

The form shown in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive differs from the form just described only in having the fingers 25 and 26 extend from the ends of the lobes 2'! and 28 rather than from the sides as in the first form. Otherwise the clasp 30 is formed and used in the same manner as the clasp IS with its points 3| and 32 overlapping each other as shown. In this form the plane of the points 3| and 32 is shown as parallel to the plane of the hinge joint 33 whereas in the first form the plane of the points 20 and 2| is at right angle to the plane of the hinge joint [4.

In Figs. l1, l2, and 13, the completed clasp 35 does not have any projecting fingers. In stead, clasp points 36 and 31 are struck in within the lobes 3B and 40, being shown as extending in the plane parallel to the plane of the hinge joint 4| between the lobes 38 and 40. Just as in the other forms, the points 36 and 31 are slightly displaced with relation to each other so that they overlap and penetrate through the cloth in side by side relationship to hold the cloth therebetween. The slight irregularity left in the lobe surfaces resulting from striking in the points is not suificient to cause any danger to anyone handling or accidentally swallowing the clasp thus formed.

It will be apparent that in each form the clasp is substantially streamlined and able to pass through the human body without causing injury. Furthermcre, it is likewise not liable to cause injury to any part of the outside of the body that it may come in contact with either during handling or when in operative position on a babys diaper.

While the clasp has been shown and the structure thereof described in detail, it is obvious that this invention is not to be considered limited to the exact forms disclosed, and that changes may be made therein within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

l. A safe diaper clasp comprising a pair of cupped lobes resiliently and integrally hinged together and diaper cloth engaging clasp points spaced inwardly from the lobe edges and extending inwardly in overlapping side by side relation so as to penetrate and hold any cloth inserted therebetween, the outside surface of the lobes and hinge joint being rounded and free of sharp points or edges liable to cause injury.

2. A safe diaper clasp comprising a pair of cupped lobes resiliently and integrally hinged together and diaper cloth engaging clasp points spaced inwardly from the lobe edges and extending inwardly in overlapping side by side relation so as to penetrate and hold any cloth inserted therebetween, the outside surface of the lobes and hinge joint being rounded and free of sharp points or edges liable to cause injury, said clasp points comprising sharpened fingers struck inwardly from the body of each lobe a distance inwardly of the cupped. edges thereof and in overlapping opposed relationship.

3. A streamlined safe diaper clasp comprising a pair of cupped lobes resiliently and integrally hinged together with their cupped edges in opposing relationship and diaper material penetrating points projecting inwardly in opposed overlap ping relationship from said lobes a distance inwardly from the cupped edges thereof, said points being struck inwardly from each lobe body.

4. A safe diaper clasp comprising a pair of cupp d lobes resiliently and integrally hinged together and diaper cloth engaging clasp points spaced inwardly from the lobe edges and extending inwardly in overlapping side by side relation so as to penetrate and hold any diaper cloth inserted therebetween, the outside surface of the lobes and hinge joint being rounded and free of sharp points or edges liable to cause injury, said clasp points comprising fingers extending inwardly from the edges of the cupped lobes parallel to the plane of the body of the lobe and then at right angles thereto in overlapping opposed relationship.

5. A streamlined safe diaper clasp comprising a pair of cupped lobes resiliently and integrally hinged together with their edges in opposing relationship and diaper material penetrating points projecting inwardly in opposed relationship from said lobes a distance inwardly from the edges thereof, said points being struck inwardly from each lobe body.

CLYDE M. HAMBLTN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 137,761 Cleaveland Apr. 15, 1873 337,969 McGill Mar. 16, 1886 559,169 Farmer Apr. 28, 1896 893,353 McGill July 14, 1908 1,196,251 Lauterbach Aug. 29, 1916 1,491,286 Calhoun Apr. 22, 1924 1,512,365 Rosen Oct. 21, 1924 1,653,465 Montan Dec. 20, 1927 

